HAMMOND – Calumet Avenue between Michigan and Sibley streets is closed under further notice after a site inspection today revealed a massive cavity beneath the roadway tied to INDOT’s reconstruction work. Southbound lanes are closed due to the ground underneath being washed out. Northbound lanes are open for now, but a city engineering department official said the northbound lanes will have to be closed during repairs. During the course of the Indiana Department of Transportation’s reconstruction of the Calumet Avenue Bridge over the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, an INDOT contractor pierced the top of an 84-foot brick sewer on May 4, according to a city news release. Attempts by the contractor since then to shore up the area and keep the roadway open have been unsuccessful. The roadway was being supported by only a 6-inch slab of reinforced concrete slab. Hammond Sanitary District Sewer Maintenance crews performed a visual inspection of the inside of the pipe and found a 6-foot-long by 2-foot-wide section of the top of the sewer missing and a significant amount of sand inside the sewer, the city said. A site inspection today revealed an 8-foot-deep by 6-foot wide cavity directly under the southbound lane of Calumet Avenue and directly over the combined sewer, according to the city. INDOT’s contractor will begin immediately excavating for repair to the sewer. It is not currently known how long it will take to repair the sewer and reopen the road. Because Chicago Avenue is still closed, Hammond police said they do… [Read full story]